Hundreds of people protested outside Ireland’s parliament on Thursday after the death of a Congolese-born man who was restrained outside a Dublin department store, in an incident drawing comparisons to the 2020 killing of George Floyd.
Yves Sakila was detained by security guards on one of the capital’s busiest shopping streets last Friday in connection with an alleged shoplifting incident, police said. He became unresponsive at the scene and was later pronounced dead.
People stand near flowers laid outside a department store on Henry Street, where a Congolese-born man, Yves Sakila, was restrained by security guards last week and later pronounced dead in hospital, Dublin, Ireland, May 21, 2026. (Reuters Photo)
Footage widely shared on social media shows Sakila pinned to the ground by at least five men for nearly five minutes as onlookers watched.
Two of the men appear to hold his face down, while another is seen kneeling on his head or neck for several seconds.
